1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector in which an elastic lock arm formed on a connector housing is held against elastic deformation by a fitting-ensuring member, thereby locking the fitted male and female connector housings together in a double manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known one conventional connector in which when a male connector housing and a female connector housings are provisionally retained relative to each other, a retaining projection of a fitting detection member is engaged with a lock projection of the male connector housing (see, for example, JP-A-9-219255 Publication (FIGS. 1 to 5)).
In the connector 100 disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the fitting detection member 101 has an elastic detection arm 102 for an abutment projection 111 of the male connector housing 110. When the fitting detection member 101 is pushed in a connector fitting direction, the elastic detection arm 102, while elastically deformed, is advanced, and the retaining projection 103 formed at a distal end of the elastic detection arm 102 slides on the lower side of the lock projection 112 of the male connector housing 110, and then is brought into engagement with a front end of the lock projection 112.
However, in the conventional connector 100 disclosed in the above Patent Literature 1, the abutment projection 111 is disposed rearwardly of the lock projection 112, and therefore during the advancing movement of the fitting detection member 101, its distal end portion must be slid while being much elastically deformed. As a result, a large inserting force is required, and therefore it is difficult to positively effect a double lock, and the efficiency of the operation is not good.
And besides, since the elastic detection arm 102 is advanced while being elastically deformed, the elastic detection arm 102 need to have a relatively large length, and this makes it difficult to achieve a compact design.